


New Beginnings

by HylianEngineer



Series: "The Half of It" Ficlets and Vignettes [1]
Category: The Half of It (2020)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Other, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HylianEngineer/pseuds/HylianEngineer
Summary: Several months after the events of canon, Ellie and Aster come home for winter break and are reunited with Paul and each other as the trio rebuilds their relationship.
Relationships: Ellie Chu & Aster Flores & Paul Munsky, Ellie Chu/Aster Flores/Paul Munsky
Series: "The Half of It" Ficlets and Vignettes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838074
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MioneGW](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MioneGW/gifts).



When Ellie comes home for Christmas break after her first semester at Grinnell, Paul is waiting at the train station, waving at her like a complete dork. His grin is like the sun: huge and bright and inescapable. 

"Ellie! You're home!" 

As soon as she gets off the train he's hugging her and her feet are no longer touching the ground. Her bag falls to the snowy grass, forgotten in the enthusiasm of their reunion.

"Okay, okay! I missed you too! Put me down!"

He does, but he's still holding onto her arm. 

"It hasn't been the same since you left. A lot has happened. Come on, your dad's waiting."

His voice is nostalgic and melancholy, mysterious and elated. He grabs her bag, it's blue fabric darkened on the bottom from melted snow, and drags her towards her house. His hand is icy in hers and calloused from work, and it dwarfs Ellie's ink-stained one. She pushes her glasses up her nose as they walk; she'd nearly dropped them between the bear hug and Paul's impatience to get home. Her friend seems a bit taller than when she'd last seen him, and there's a new confidence in the way he carries himself. He'd told her in his letters that the taco-sausages were taking off, and he seems to be thriving with his new creative freedom.

Ellie's dad has dinner waiting for them, and the three of them take some time to catch up before falling into the usual routine of eating silently while staring at the TV. Their little family might be a bit strange, but it's theirs, and that's all that matters.

The next morning, Aster shows up on the doorstep with a tupperware container in her hands and a very nervous expression on her face. 

"Hi. I, um, brought you some cookies. As- as a welcome home gift."

Ellie just stares at her for a second, blinking, before remembering that she ought to let Aster in. Paul is similarly flustered, and Ellie has to elbow him out of the way as she opens the door. "Why don't you come in?"

They crowd into the tiny living room, with Ellie and Paul squished together on a beanbag and Aster perched awkwardly on the edge of an armchair. They fill the oppressive silence by passing around the box of cookies- snickerdoodle, with red and green sprinkles. 

Paul bites into a cookie, chewing thoughtfully. 

"These are really good. You made them?"

Aster smiles, blushing, "It's my grandmother's recipe." 

From there the conversation moves towards work and school: Aster's art projects, Ellie's literature classes, and Paul's newest recipes. The tension starts to dissipate as Aster tells stories about her roommate's antics in the name of art, weakens further as Paul talks about his family's reactions to his sausage tacos, and has vanished almost entirely by the time Ellie has finished explaining  _ Walden Pond.  _

As the end of the break approaches, they hang out together more and more- having snowball fights, baking together, and discussing family and the future over milkshakes. And when Ellie and Aster go back to school, the trio exchanges letters on a weekly basis. So far, none of them have tried to name whatever it is that's going on between them, afraid it will shatter, or fade away like mist. But it's certainly something.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated; I'd love to know what you think!


End file.
